Tire rimming machine



March 15, 1932. H. D. STEVENS TIRE RIMMING MACHINE Filed Nov.10, 1930 3 Sheets-She'et v INVENTOR Horace D. Ieven ATTO RN EY5 H. D. STEVENS TIRE RIMMING MACHINE March 15, 1932.

Filed Nov. 10;

3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Hom/e D. evena ATTORNEY March l5,` 1932.. H. usTEvi-:Ns 1,850,053

TIRE RIMMING MACHINE Filed Nov. lO, 1930 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 er( 350511 E; I

ATTORNEYS Patented Mar. 15, 1932 UNITED STA PATENT OFFICE HORACE D. STEVENS, OF AKRON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR T THE FIRESTONETIRE & 4RUBIBEIK, COMPANY, OEJLKRON, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO TIRE RIMMING MACHIE' Application filed November' 1o, 1930, serial No. 494,578.

. This invention relates to tire-rimming machines, and more especially itV relates to apparatus for mounting pneumatic tire casings, with inner tubes therein, upon vehicle wheels `l '5 equippedY withtthe2 so-called drop-center uThe "conserve labor, and to reduce the time and cost of mounting'ltires on rims. A'more specic'object is to provide simple, eiicient,

and economical apparatus for applyingtirel oasingsfto dropfcenter` rims afterthe tire and rimhave beendeterminately positioned withrela-tionto-each other in the machine.

Of the,accompanyingtdrawings: v

Figure l'is a side elevationof amachine embodying 'the invention in its preferred form, and the work therein.

Figure 2- is a plan viewthereof.

Figure 3 is a section online 3.-'-3 of Fig,- urel. A .f

Figure 4 is a fragmentary section ofthe Ywork and apparatus' at the initial stage of operation. v. l r` rFigure 5 is a view similar to Figure .4 at an advanced stage Aof operation.

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 4at a farther advanced stage'of operation.

Referring to the drawings, 10 is an open frame supported upon legs or ,standards 11,

11, and 12, j12are anti-friction rollerswith axes disposed transversely of the frame, and arranged intwoparallel rows alongopposite sides of ythe top 'of the frame, the 'centra-l portion ofthe frame being open.y j t the work-receiving end of the frame; 10, (the left end as shown in the drawings) isa `tilt,-

able table' 13 pivoted on the frameiat 14, said table comprising anti-friction rollers 15, 15

arranged yparallel 'tofthe'rollers 12 in two rows at opposite sides Vof the table. The length of the table 13 is 'substantially the same as the ldiameter of a wheel 16 upon which a tire 17 is to be mounted. VThe normal inoperative'position of the table-is in,- clined with relation to the frame, asis clearly shown in Figure 1, so,` that the rollers 15 at the delivery end fof the table are positioned somewhat above the adjacent rollers 12 of the frame. By'tilting thev table onits 'chief objects ,of the invention yare to pivot 14 the series of rollers l5 are brought into horizontal alignment with the rollers 12. A pair of studs 18, 18 are mounted upon the rear of the table 13 and project above therollers 15 to provide positioning means for a wheel 16 when the latter is placed upon the table.

Mounted in suitable bearingson the frame `1O,and extending transversely of the frame at its` receiving end is a shaft 19, anda sim,- ilar shaft 2O is mounted in the delivery end of the frame. Mounted upon the-shaft 19 are sprockets 21, 21 which are connected by ar pair of parallel vsprocket chains 22, 22 with sprockets of equal size 23, 23 mountedupon the shaft 20. The: upper reach of each chain 22 extends along the top of thek framea little below the topsof the rollers 12, 15, at opposite sides of the central open portion of the machine between the two rows of rollers.

F ory driving the sprocket chains 22 in the direction indicated bythe arrows in thev tudinally of the sprocketcchains 22,:the lat-k `ter are connected by transverse tie-plates '30,' .30, each of which is formed adjacent its'respective ends with upstanding arms 31,. 31 having rollers 32, 32 journaled in their free ends. AParallelpspacedapart plates 33, 33 are mounted upon the frame 10 besideV the upper reach of each chain `22to provide guideways which receive the respective end Vportions of the tie-plates and hold theA latter against vertical displacement.`

end thereof is a normally closed electrical switchv 34 in theelectrical circuit 'which `includes the motor 28, and said switch is pro-f vided with an operating lever 35 which eX- tends into theorbit of the .tie-plates 30 and is adapted to beengaged and operated by the trailingedges yof the latter, as the chains-22 -Mounted upon the frame 10 at the delivery pass around the sprockets 23, to open the switch 34 and stop the motor. The trailing edge of each tie-plate 3() is beveled or chamfered at 36 where it engages the switch-lever 35. rfhe arrangement is such that when either tie-plate stops the machine by throwing the lever 35, the other tie-plate isV so positioned that the arms 31 thereof project upwardly between the rows of rollers 15 as is clearly shown in Figure 4. adapted to engage the inner periphery of the rim of a wheel 16, and to propel the rim and a tire 17, over the rollers 15, 12, from the receiving to the delivery end of the machine.

Rollers 37 37 are respectively interposed lin the two series of rollers 12 adjacent the receiving end of the machine, said rollers being of considerably larger diameter than the y rollers 12, and having their upper surfaces in alignment with the upper surfaces of rollers 12. A roller 38 of the same diameter as the rollers 37 is journaled upon a shaft 39 and extends across the machine, at a distance above the rollers 37 which is slightly less than the width of a tire 17. Thus a tire passing between the rollers 37, 38 will be slightly iiattened or compressed as is shown in Figure 6. The diameter of the roller 38 is locally increased by tapered collars 40, 40 mounted thereon at positions where they are adapted concurrently to engage the diametrically opposite sides of a tire passing thereunder.

Journaled upon the shaft 39v at opposite 'ends thereof are respective arms 41, 41, the

free ends Aof which extend toward the del livery end of the machine and carry a fixed shaft 42 extending transversely of the machine. yThe shaft 42 has a presser roller 43 of stif soft rubber composition journaled thereon at its middle, and also carries a plurality of cylindrical weights 44, 44. The presser roller 43 has a waisted or concave surface so that it may make contact with the leading edge of a tire over a substantial area,

when it is in its lowered, operative position.

For raising and lowering the presser roller 43 into and out of operative position, one of the arms 41 is connected by .a link 45 to one arm of an L-shaped cam-lever 46 which is pivoted at 47 on the frame 10 and has its other arm provided with a cam-roller 48 which rides upon the periphery of a cam 49.

The latter is mounted upon a shaft 50 which is journaled in suitable bearings mounted upon the frame `10 and provided with a sprocket 51 connected by a sprocket chain 52 with a sprocket 53 mounted upon the driven shaft 19. An adjustable chain-tightening sprocket 54 is provided for Athe chain 52.

The machine operates as follows: With the parts in their inoperative positions, that is7 with the motor stopped, the presser roller 43 in lowered position, and a pair of arms 31 extending upwardly through the delivery end The arms 3l are of the table 13, a wheel 16 is so positioned upon the latter that the arms 31 extend through the spokes thereof and the rollers 32 enga-ge the Vrim of the wheel, care being taken to have the valve stem hole of the rim nearest the delivery end of the machine. Then a tire 17 having an inner tube 54 therein is started upon the rim as is shown in Figure 4, and the valve stem V55 of the inner tube is passed through the hole provided therefor' in the rim. The position of the rollers 12 below the adjacent rollers 15 of the table 13 facilitates the manual positioning of the tire and rim as described.

The table 13 is then manually tilted to a horizontal position, and the motor 28 is set in motion to vpropel the endless chains 22 and thereby to move the tire and rim toward the rollers 37 38, which they pass between with but little distortion of the tire. Almost immediately thereafter the tire engages thel presser roller 43, which, in its lowered position, is so close to the rollers 12. that the leading side of the tire in passing thereunder is considerably flattened andl elongated in a radial direction, with thev result that its bead portions are moved substantially into contact with each other and thus permit such relative radial movement ofthe tire and wheel that said bead portions slide into the wellconstituting the annular medial portion ofthe drop-center rim of the wheel 16, as is most clearly shown in Figure 5.V

At about the time the rim of thewheel 16 engages the presser roller 43, the cam 49 acting through the cam lever 46 and link 45, raises the presser roller to the inoperative position shown in Figure 2, and as the work continues its progress toward the delivery end of the machine the tire is forced progressively onto the rim solely by engagement with the rollers 37 38, as is shown in Figure 6, the non-concentric relation of the wheel and tire, shown best `in Figure 2, permitting the bead portions of the tire to pass freely over the outer periphery of the wheel rim.

When the wheel with the tire thereon passes out of engagement with the rollers 37, 38, the natural resilience of the tire causes it to assume a more nearly concentric position on the rim so that the tire and rim cannot be inade vertently separated.

` .As the work reaches the delivery end of the machine the arms 31 are withdrawn from engagement with the wheel, and thetie plate 30 in passing around the sprockets 23 operates the arm 35 of the switch 34 thus stopping the machine. The assembled work is then removed from the machine and the operations described may be repeated, the cam 49 having again lowered the presser roller 43 after the work passed the same. p

The invention may be variously modified within Vthe scope of the appended claims,

which are not limited wholly to the specific construction shown and described.

Wvhat is claimed is:

l. In a tire-rimming machine, the com- 5 bination of means for laterally compressing a tire casing locally to move its bead portions togetherat the area of compression, and means for moving a drop-center tire rim relatively to the tire While itis so compressed to seat the juxtaposed bead portions of the tire in the Well of the tire rim.

2. In a tire-rimining machine, the combination of means for bodily feeding a tire casing and a drop center rim along a determinate course, and means for progressively passing the bead portions of thetire over opposite sides of the rimy to seat the tire hereon as the tire and rim are so fed.

3. In a tire-rimming machine, the comk bination of means for bodily movinga tire casing and a drop center tire` rim together along a determinate course, means for effecting such relative movement of the tirey and rim as to cause them to assume non-concentric relation, and means for mountingthextire on the rim While they continue to move in non-concentric relation.A i

4. In a tire-rimming machine, the combination of means for bodily moving a tire 80 casing and a drop center rim together along a determinate course, means for locally com` pressing the tire to move its bead portions together thereat and so retarding the bodily movement of the tire as to cause said bead portions locally to enter the Well of the rim, and means for progressively passing the rest of the tire bead structures onto the rim.

5. In a tire-rimming machine, the comsaid presser rollers out of operative position in timed relation to the movement of the tire and rim.

8. In a tire-rimming machine, the combination of a Work-support comprising anti` friction rollers, means for feedmg a tire cas-- ing and drop-center rim longitudinally thereof, a presser roller mounted in fixed position above the anti-frictionV rollers and adapted to engage the Work with light pressure as it passes thereunder, and a presser roller on the delivery side of thelirst mentioned presser roller adapted to engage the tire With relatively heavy pressure as it passes thereunder.

9. A combination as defined in claim 8 including means for raising and lowering the last mentioned presser roller in timed relation to the movement of the tire and rim. HORACE `D`.` STEVENS.

bination of a Work-support comprising anti'- v 40 friction rollers, means for propelling a tire casing and drop center rim bodily thereover, and a plurality of presser rollers coopera-ting with said anti-friction rollers and adapted to apply the tire to the rim progressively from its leading side to its trailing side as the tire and rim move along the work-support.

6. In a tire-rimming machine, the combination-of a Work-support comprising antifriction rollers, means for bodily propelling a tire casing and drop center rim therealong, and a plurality of presser rollersl cooperatino' with said anti-friction rollers and adapte first to compress the tire locally to cause its beads locally to enter the Well in the middle of ther rim, and then progressively to apply the rest of the bead portions of the tire to the rim.

7. In a tire-rimrning machine, the combination of means for bodily feeding `a tire casing and drop-center rim in a determinate 60. course, presser rollers along said course adapted first to compress the tire locally to force its beads together so that they enter the Well of the rim, and then to force the rest of theV bead portions of the Vtire progressively onto the rim, and means for moving one of Gl y 

